An Unexplored Realm in the Heartland of the Southern Gulf ... - Famsi

change, fluctuates according to “time, space, and culture.” The authors articulate the
significance of differences in temporal and spatial gradations by explaining that regions
may be homogeneous at one scale and heterogeneous at another. Contextual settings
ranging from trash middens, activity areas, households, communities, regions, and even
continents become desirable comparative units. Not only is the study of episodes of
human habitation essential, but examination of the localities and periods of non-
occupation are equally significant. The plasticity inherent in this type of approach allows
investigators to vary the scale of analysis at different times during their investigation in
order to produce the most effective recovery of data and identification of patterns.
The concept of heterarchy is of central importance to landscape analysis.
Heterarchies are defined as “complex systems in which elements have the potential of
being variously unranked or ranked” relative to other elements, depending on systemic
requirements (Crumley 1979:144, 1994:12-13; Marquardt and Crumley 1987:11). In
other words, the researcher should not automatically assign levels of analysis into a
‘nested’ hierarchal system. Hierarchies constitute a method in which elements of the
landscape can be ranked. Heterarchies provide another method of examining structural
organization when diachronic and spatial perceptions of change in human and natural
elements are to be observed.
A further consideration in a landscape approach is an understanding of the
region’s geomorphology. The varied geological landscapes of the northern Isthmus of
Tehuantepec that encompasses the Gulf lowlands are complex entities that can provide
additional information about the physical activities of the human inhabitants. Knapp and
Ashmore (1999:10-12) divide landscapes into three types: the first is the constructed
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